Health regulations often require:
maintenance of cold conditions under 3.degree. C. for long-term storage, and PA1 a cool temperature below 12.degree. C. for delivery two hours prior to consumption. PA1 a hot dish which is consumed in the hot state should not drop below 62.5.degree. C. during the delivery phase. Maintenance of the hot state should not last more than two hours. PA1 be cooled in less than one hour, refrigerated and maintained under 3.degree. C., and PA1 be reheated above 65.degree. just before consumption. PA1 a very brief elapsed time between making the hot dish and its consumption, or alternatively, PA1 transport of cold dishes in refrigerated vehicles which requires that delivery be made just prior to consumption, followed by reheating the dish back up to the required temperature on the consumer's premises assuming that an oven is available.
Health regulations also often apply to hot dishes:
A hot dish which is transported in the cold state should:
A hot delivered dish should be consumed above 62.5.degree. C. for the best gustatory enjoyment. Thus, there is a requirement for the ability to maintain the temperature of the delivered dish while awaiting its consumption. These temperatures correspond to French regulations and are cited as examples.
These requirements are demanding and complicate the organization of take-out restaurants by imposing:
A self-contained, portable device that maintains dishes in the hot state or provides for their reheating by induction is disclosed and described in patent application FR 9614475 and patent application PCT FR 97/02125 by the same author. Plates heated by induction are described in design patent application FR 9706059 and patent application FR 9802066 by the same author, as well as examples of inductors. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 3,408,481 describes portable devices for service using the Peltier phenomenon and patent application EP 0 818 169 describes meal trays with induction.
The present invention describes a more complete, improved version of the previously described devices intended for the applications cited in the introduction.